being appropriate is overrated | Just a Lost Soul Swimmin' in a Fish Bowl

Our New House… a Patriotic Adventure May 15, 2013

Posted by jeneypeney in all growed up, being appropriate is overrated.
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I have been keeping this kind of quiet on the social media front due to unfortunate circumstances involved with a third-party*, but The Actual and I just closed on our first home!

I have no idea why I’m making that face.

We are beyond excited and super pumped about having a space to call our own and to finally feel like we’ve settled down. We are both definitely over apartment living and all the noise neighbors, inept management, insect problems, and itty-bitty living space that comes with it.

(…and I was sick of The Actual’s woodworking hobby getting saw-dust all over our shit in the garage.)

After signing a gazillion papers and receiving the keys, we headed over to our newly purchased home and started prepping the place for painting and moving.

Now, we knew the previous owners loved America from our first step in to the house. But it wasn’t until last night that we truly realized just how MUCH they loved our country.

You see, even when you first turn on to our little street, we easily have the most unusual and eye-catching mailbox on the block. We didn’t really get a good look at it when we first viewed the house because it was mostly buried under several feet of snow…

No terrorist mail for us, thanks!

The living room, kitchen, basement, and hallways are fine with the exception of a bizarre paint job of the kitchen cabinets (more on that in a future post).

However, the first bedroom is what the “Man Cave” was originally. When we were viewing the home for the first time, this room came loaded (pun absolutely intended) with a poorly hidden gun cabinet (blankets are deceiving, you know), an ammo reloading bench, and related hunting paraphernalia. The icing on the cake, however, was the hunter’s dream wallpaper surrounding us on all four walls (thank the sweet baby Jesus this isn’t floor to ceiling…)

Not so bad from far away…

… there it is!

For now this will be a crafting and workout room. Eventually, we’ll convert it in to a nursery. We plan on painting the walls a light yellow now and later we’ll paint the paneling a light gray when baby-making time comes around.

Right next door to the “Man Cave” is what I like to call the “Patriot’s Lair”. This room, when viewing, had bright red curtains, an American flag blanket on a futon, and of course, a lovely Red, White, and Blue “I LOVE AMERICA, DAMNIT!!!” wallpaper ribbon around the entire room.

What country are you from? I can’t place your accents.

I honestly have to say I am surprised the top portion isn’t red.

Originally we were going to paint the whole room a light green. We decided to keep the textured brown paint job on top and we’ll be painting the lower portion an earthy green. Brian plans on replacing the “USA” ribbons with a John Deere strip because… farming. This will be the office!

Finally, we have the master bedroom. Four of the three walls are painted a dark blue – which we actually don’t mind. However, the fourth wall is a deep, dark red (of course keeping with our patriotic theme!) Needless to say, we’re not big fans.

I think I should feel bad for making fun of this so much…

Initially, we thought the carpet was a dark gray color. Upon further inspection, however, it revealed itself to have red and blue hues interspersed throughout.

Seriously… THE CARPET IS RED, WHITE, AND FREAKING BLUE!

::cue moment I stopped feeling bad about making fun of this so much::

We are painting the red wall either light blue or gray with SPARKLES!!! (not the vampirey kind, though.) The carpet will eventually be replaced with laminate hardwood with the rest of the first floor when we renovate the kitchen.

I am now taking suggestions for an America themed playlist for painting this week. I’m starting with this song on repeat.

I’ll be updating periodically through the next couple weeks as we paint, move, and unpack the house… let the adventures of homeownership begin!

* I’ll post this story later as well… it was it’s own adventure in and of itself.

Protected: Who’s Wedding Is It, Anyway? May 10, 2011

Posted by jeneypeney in being appropriate is overrated, i'm just sayin', piss and moan, save yo drama fo yo mama, the famn damily, weddng madness.
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Emotionally Exhausted February 18, 2011

Posted by jeneypeney in all growed up, being appropriate is overrated, i'm just sayin', life, piss and moan, the 'f' word.
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I have always been a passionate person. I consider it one of my greatest strengths as well as one of my worst weaknesses. I can be a fiercely loyal friend, but sometimes it’s to an extent where I let your problems infect my own life. I will fight for what I believe in, but sometimes it’s to a point that I’m just beating a dead horse.

I am passionate and I am not sorry.

I am trying to pull this post together without going off on wild tangents or becoming so incoherent that I fail to get my point across – because this is important to me. I think I may have failed but bear with me…

For those of you who are friends with me on facebook, you may have noticed that I am have become one of those overly irritating “This is my cause! Read it!” kind of people. I just realized I had become this person late this week and for that, I am sorry.

But some of these bills that are being presented, supported, and pushed through all levels of government are honestly so terrifying and infuriating I cannot just sit back and let things happen. I need to stand up for what I believe in. I need to to use my little soap box to try and put a stop to the madness before life as know it falls apart. I need to let my passion come out.

First I heard about the GOP attempting to re-define the definition of rape to cut off federal aid of abortions to rape victims. Before you get up in arms about the abortion part, know this – regardless of whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, redefining what rape is and even considering that some forms of rape are not forcible is beyond repulsive. As a survivor of sexual abuse(s), this one cut me real deep. [NOTE: I understand that the “forcible” wording was removed from the bill, but the fact that it was there to begin with is still terrible.]

Then I found out that the place I go to get all my lady-health care is on the cusp of being denied federal funding. Why do I go to Planned Parenthood rather than a gynecologist at my doctor’s office? Why do I care that funding for them is being cut? Because Planned Parenthood allows me to AFFORD my lady-health care. Simple as that. I don’t go there because I’m some kind of loose, baby killing left-wing radical. No.I go to Planned Parenthood because I have been able to get my yearly pap-smears, birth control prescriptions, and other services without have to forgo eating that month.

Third, I find out the new governor of Wisconsin is in the process of breaking down worker’s unions all in the name of fixing the budget (with the exception of police and firefighters clever bastard, eh?). Considering my father is a member of a worker’s union in Wisconsin (not by choice either – the company he worked at for over two decades was shut down and his position was moved to the new company which already had this system in place), is the sole bread-winner of my family, and struggles to support my mother and two brothers as it is? This bill Walker is trying to pass scares the hell out of me.

It doesn’t help that people in my facebook news feed who don’t even LIVE in Wisconsin and work at ‘white collar’ jobs are supporting what Walker is doing. To them I have one thing to say… Step out of your ivory towers and shut. the. fuck. up. Go outside of the little box of your own life and think about how these bills affects families like mine.

I feel as if my country is fighting tooth and nail against me because I am a woman and I am middle class. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have been failed by the system.

Between my spring sports travel schedules starting up, taking two extremely demanding grad classes this semester, trying to pay deposits for the wedding, waiting to hear back from The Actual’s new job about his passing the background check and finger prints, discovering that my alma mater and her brother institution has once again disappointed me to the verge of tears, and dealing with life in general? I’m tuckered out, folks.

I apologize if I offended anyone with this post or my incessant facebook updates – but I am not sorry for being passionate and standing up for my rights. Because if I don’t, who will?